i feel a bad moon rising | territory meeting

[elio]

Somber, that is how Elio describes himself today. That is a word he just learned from eavesdropping on a pair of adults discussing their passed family. He had picked up that term from context clues and then quietly sent them just an inkling peace.

So, today he is somber. Somber as he thinks of those mourning strangers, as he realizes leaving Taiga starts now, as he plods closely behind his mother’s hind. The golden boy is approaching one and a half years old, and he finds that Lepis gets shorter and shorter. Their shoulders are close to being level. Everyday he notices that he will grow taller than his mother (so much like his father), and that forces his brow to furrow.

“Hey,” he murmurs up at Pteron, steely eyes softening with his brother’s touch. A soft nip at the new leader’s shoulder and a whispered good luck then Elio tucks himself to right and a bit behind Lepis.

They speak, give their news and their hopes, and Elio does not so much as nod. He is a fixture, the last piece of the Lepane family, standing in solidarity with their legacy. He has no place in these political matters, nor does he feel he has a place in how the family splits itself. Mostly, he is here to be with his mother and to witness the territory in action.

So, he remains quietly beside his family, every minute or so sending waves of peace toward Lepis and Pteron.